


Truth In The Pages

by CrestOfLight



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare
Genre: F/M, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-01
Updated: 2014-09-11
Packaged: 2018-02-15 15:46:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,651
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2234559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrestOfLight/pseuds/CrestOfLight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What happens after 3 friends suddenly find out that a book series they've treasured is real? That the monsters and heroes of their books do indeed exist, hidden in their own world? And what happens when they find that they're being called upon to be the next generation?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I sat stretched out on the couch of my apartment reading one of my favorite books. The book was well worn with lines along the spine and fingerprints staining the pages. There were eight more just like it on the bookshelf in my room. It was part of the Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare which was my favorite series. I had them all and had read them multiple times.

“Hey Wils?”

Reluctantly I tore my eyes away from City Of Lost Souls to look up at my roommate Joey as she walked into the living room, scrolling through her phone.

“Yeah?” I replied.

“Did Ella text you yet to say when she’s getting into town?”

Reaching out I grabbed my phone from the coffee table and slid my finger across to unlock the screen. Our friend Ella was coming for a visit. She lived on the west coast in Seattle while Joey and I lived on the East Coast in New York. Periodically she would make her way east or we’d make our way west by some form of transportation to visit one another. This year it was her turn and she’d chose to drive, keeping us updated now and then on her current location.

“Nope.” I said when I saw that the alert bar was empty.

Tossing my phone back onto the coffee table I returned to the book.

“What the hell? She said she would text us and let us know when she was getting in.” Joey replied.

“Mhmm.” I nodded still reading.

“Are you reading that again?” Joey asked.

I nodded in reply.

“Jesus Willow how many times have you read that? I mean I love the books too but it’s going to fall apart.” Joey said.

“Then when it does I’ll buy another. Now shush…reading.” I said and stuck my tongue out at her before putting my eyes back to the words.

I heard Joey chuckle and a moment later she flopped onto the other end of the couch. The TV became a dull noise in the background as I continued to read. A short time later I distantly heard a knock however I had just gotten to a scene with Magnus and Alec so I ignored it.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get it.” Joey replied and despite the fact I didn’t look up I knew she was rolling her eyes.

I continued with my reading until I heard a loud scream. Looking up I looked towards the door and saw Joey throwing her arms around Ella’s neck. Grinning myself I tossed my book down and hurried over to the door.

“Holy shit! I thought you weren’t going to be here for another couple of days!” I laughed as I took Joey’s place and hugged Ella tightly.

“I got tired of driving. I ditched my car at my Dad’s house in Utah and took a flight out from Salt Lake. Besides it means I can stay a few extra days.” Ella grinned.

“Good. Maybe that will get Willow out of her freaking book for five minutes. I haven’t been able to get her to talk all day.” Joey frowned as she grabbed Ella’s bags and began to drag them into the apartment.

Ella shut the door behind her, “What are you reading?”

“City of Lost Souls.” I replied pointing to the smoke colored book on the couch.

“Again.” Joey supplied.

“Can’t blame her. It’s one of the better books.” Ella said and with that scooped the book up herself.

“Hey! No touchy! You’ll lose my place! Read your own!” I said with a laugh and grabbed it from her.

“But mine is all the way back in Seattle!” Ella replied with a pout.

“Too bad, so sad. Mine.” I said and stuck my tongue out at her before marking my page and setting the book aside.

“Well now that you’ve managed to drag Willow’s nose out of her book for five minutes what do you guys want to do tonight?” Joey asked.

“I vote Netflix marathon.” I suggested.

“I’d rather go out.” Ella replied.

“Really? I figured you would be too tired.” I said.

Ella shook her head, “I slept on the plane and there is a 3 hour time difference. I’m ready to go.”

“Guess that solves that then. C’mon and we’ll show you to your room so we can start getting ready.”

The three of us dragged Ella’s bags into her room before each going our separate ways to start [getting ready](http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/set?id=133680516). I grabbed a quick shower before vacating the bathroom so the others could do what they needed. Once in my room I sorted through my closet until I found a floral print dress which I paired with a pair of pink heels and clutch before making sure my curls were set and arraigned how I wanted them. With a final check of my makeup I emerged from my room, sitting down on the couch to wait for the others and picking my book back up.

“I swear we leave you alone for 2 minutes and you’ve already got your nose back in that book.”

I looked up to see Joey come into the living room in a blue dress with a cut out back, nude heels and a matching clutch, her hair hanging pin straight around her shoulders. Behind her was Ella who wore a dark red halter swing dress and black wedges, her bright red hair curled and pulled half up.

“Alright. No more books. We love them too but you’re going out with us now.” Ella replied and plucked the book from my hands and set it aside.

“I was only reading it to kill time waiting for you.” I said and stood up.

As I stood up Ella looked at my dress, “What are you wearing?”

“A dress?” I replied.

“It looks like your grandma’s couch.” Ella said.

I stuck my tongue out at her, “Don’t like it? Don’t look at it.”

“Alright I can already smell an argument cooking. Both of you hush and come get your shots.” Joey called from where she stood at the counter in the kitchen, three shot glasses of amber colored liquid filling each one.

Walking over we each picked up a shot. The three of us clinked them together and tipped them back.

***

The music in the club we decided to go to was deafening but it had a decent beat and all three of us had each had our share of drinks. Ella was dancing with a cute guy while Joey and I hung out on the throngs of the dance floor just enjoying the atmosphere. The only problem I really had was the heat. It was getting to me and I was feeling a little light headed.

Reaching out I tapped Joey’s shoulder, “I’m heading outside to get some air!”

“Want me to go with you?” Joey asked.

I shook my head, “I’ll be okay.”

“Alright!” She said and with a wave I started to make my way towards the door.

The moment I pushed the door open I was hit with a cool wave of air and it felt amazing. Walking out I made my way from the door, leaning against the front wall of the club a few feet away. Pulling my phone out of my clutch I began to scroll through my Facebook and Instagram feeds to pass the time. However a moment later there was a noise from the alley that separated the club from the shop next door.

It sounded like someone gagging. I don’t know what possessed me to go and check but a moment later my feet were moving me towards the alley way. Turning the corner I squinted to see if I could discern anything in the mostly dark alley. There were two small lights above the club’s side door and the side door of the building next door but they provided minimal light.

“Hello?” I called into the dark.

The sound came again and this time it sounded more like scuttling. Once again a surge of bravery or stupidity I’m not sure which shot through my body and compelled me to move into the alley. Suddenly I heard the sound for a third time, this time behind me.

Spinning around I looked behind me and at that moment I really wished I hadn’t. Behind me was a creature I’d never seen in my life. It looked like a scorpion with a long hard black armored body, the spike of its tail glinting dangerously in the dull light of the alley.

I wanted to scream, to run, to do something besides stand there staring at it but I couldn’t. I was frozen to the spot. At least until it started moving.

The moment its legs started to move mine moved too. I ran at the door on the side of the club and grabbed the handle, pulling hard however it refused to budge. The creature was moving towards me so I began to pound on the door with my fists as hard as I could.

“OPEN UP! PLEASE!” I screamed as loud as I could but I knew it was useless, I could feel the pulse of the music through the door.

The creature continued to make its way towards me. Looking around, I desperately tried to find something to use as a weapon. There was no way I would be able to get around it without something to protect myself.

My eyes landed on something slightly shiny near a garbage can. Reaching out I swiped it up and held it out in front of me defensively. It was a thin bit of pipe about the length of my arm. I didn’t know how it would hold up to whatever it was in front of me but I also didn’t have much of a choice.

It moved closer to me and I swung out at it, smacking it hard in one of its legs which surprisingly crumbled under it. A second later though it’s tail whipped out at me. I whacked at it soundly with the pipe sending it away from me.

However I didn’t realize just how far down the alley we’d moved until I felt a brick wall at my back. I was trapped and it was still moving forward.

Suddenly out of nowhere a dark figure dropped in front of me, separating me and the creature. It muttered something and suddenly the alley was filled with a blinding light. Squinting to see what was going on I saw the dark figure now held a sword which was glowing brightly in the alley. The figure suddenly moved forward and used the sword to slash at the creature which screamed in pain.

The figure swung the sword out behind it and I felt something warm splash on my dress. I watched as the figure continued to slash and attack the creature in front of it, expertly dodging the attacks the creature threw out.

After what seemed like ages the figure managed to knock the creature onto its back before bringing the sword hard into its underbelly. With a final scream the creature disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving a lingering scent of sulfur. The figure stood there for a few moments before turning around to look at me.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“My n-name? Why? What was that thing? How did you-“but he cut me off.

“What. Is. Your. Name?” he asked again, his voice harder this time.

“Willow. Willow Thomas.” I replied.

He nodded, “You should get going. You shouldn’t be out alone this time of night and you need to get that ichor off your leg.”

I started to say something but I knew that I wouldn’t get anything else out of him.

“Thank you.” Was all I said and hurried off.

I emerged into the light of the sidewalk. Almost immediately I felt a hand on my shoulder. Jumping I turned and saw Joey and Ella looking at me concerned.

“Whoa! What’s wrong?” Joey asked.

“Yeah, what were you doing down there? And what happened to you?” Ella added.

I looked down at myself. Black liquid was splattered on my dress and shoes and there was a rip in my skirt that I didn’t remember happening. I was a mess but at that moment I didn’t care as the words came tumbling from my lips.

“There was this…this thing! It was huge! It looked….it looked…and this guy…he had a sword and…” but my voice trailed off as I thought about what had just happened.

The images flashed behind my eyes and they seemed familiar. Too familiar.

“Shadowhunter.” I gasped.

“What?” Joey asked.

“Shadowhunter! There was a Shadowhunter in the alley! And a demon! I heard a noise and I didn’t know it was a demon so I went to look and then it was there! It was huge and black! I think it was a Ravener demon! Oh god! And then suddenly he was there and he had a seraph blade a REAL one! It lit up and he attacked it and got blood on me from it! Look! Look! This stuff! It’s Ichor! They’re real! They exist! Shadowhunters are real!” I said. I knew I must have looked crazy what with the yelling and the fact that I had begun to wave my hands around but at the moment I didn’t care.

“Hold on…calm down Wils. A Shadowhunter? As in half human half angel being with a heavenly mandate Shadowhunter?” Ella asked.

“DO YOU KNOW ANY OTHER KIND MARCELLA?!” I asked.

“Willow calm down. You’re talking crazy. Concentrate, what happened to you?” Joey asked slowly.

“I just told you! A Ravener demon attacked me and a Shadowhunter saved me! That’s exactly what happened!” I replied.

“Someone must have slipped something in her drink.” Ella said looking at Joey.

“No one slipped anything into my drink!” I growled.

“And those burns on her leg look pretty serious. We should get her to the hospital.” Joey nodded.

“Is everything okay?” a bouncer asked.

“No we think someone slipped something in our friend’s drink and then she got attacked in the alley.” Joey replied.

“Do you want me to call an ambulance?” he asked looking concerned.

“NO! I DON’T NEED ONE! I AM FINE! COME ON! LOOK! THERE HAS TO BE SOME EVIDENCE IN THE ALLEY! COME ON!” I yelled and grabbed Joey and Ella’s hands, dragging them down the alley.

“Look! There’s ichor on the brick! And that green slime! It’s Ravener saliva!” I said pointing to a small pool of green stuff on the ground.

“Willow c’mon….you’re not well. We need to get you help.” Ella said.

“I’m fine! There is nothing wrong with me! I-I…” However suddenly my head began to spin and my knees gave way.

A pair of hands grabbed me before I could hit the ground and a distant voice screamed for someone to call 911. That’s when I remembered that demon ichor was poisonous to humans. I wanted to tell whoever it was that was talking to me in a quiet voice that but before I could everything went dark and I was out.


	2. Chapter 2

My body ached and my leg was burning like hell as I forced open my heavy eyelids. It took a moment but I finally realized that I was in a hospital. I couldn’t remember how I got there but both Joey and Ella were curled up in chairs near the window.

Turning my head to the other side of my bed I suddenly saw a figure standing next to my bed, hands fiddling with the machines next to the bed. It was a guy, his shape outlined by the light pouring from the nurses station on other side of the glass partition that served as the 4th wall of my room.

“I think that was right.” He muttered to himself.

 “Who are you?” I asked looking at him.

He jumped a bit and turned quickly to look at me, his shoes squeaking on the tile, “You’re awake.”

That was when I recognized his voice. It was the same one I heard in the alley.

“You’re the guy from the alley. The Shadowhunter.” I replied.

He took a few steps away from the bed and I thought he was about to leave but instead he pulled the curtains shut, blocking the nurse’s view. When it was drawn he walked back and clicked on a small light above my bed so I could see his face properly for the first time. He had dark hair that fell in long waves around his shoulders and curled around his face. His eyes were a rich jade color that were framed with long lashes and his mouth was set in a smirk.

“And you’re Willow Thomas, the girl who tried to take on the Ravener demon with a broken golf club.” He replied.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I came to help you.” He said.

“Help me?”

“Is that ichor running through your veins affecting your hearing? Yes. I came here to help you.”

“You don’t have to be a smart ass. What I meant was how can you help me? I’m kinda screwed aren’t I? Ichor is poisonous, especially to Mundanes.” I replied.

He nodded, “It is but I may have a way to help you. If you’re willing to try it that is.”

Before I could ask what the way was he pulled out something long and thin that shone silver in the light above my bed from his back pocket.

“So you know I’m a Shadowhunter and about ichor so I’m going to go out a limb here and say that you know what this is and what it does. Correct?” He asked twirling it through his fingers.

“It’s a Stele. You draw runes with it. How is that supposed to help me?” I asked.

He shrugged, “Usually I would call up our resident warlock but unfortunately he’s not in town. He and his fiancé are currently somewhere in Europe. So the last resort is to draw an iratze on you.”

“And then I turn into a Forsaken.” I said with a laugh.

“No…you could also go mad or just die.” He replied.

“Either way I’m screwed.” I said.

I watched as he twirled his stele for a few more moments before his eyes met my blue ones, “You’re screwed if you don’t. That ichor has been in your body for a few hours now. You won’t last much longer. The mundane doctors don’t know what’s wrong with you and they’re not going to find it out. Even if they did there’s no cure that they could give you. I, however, have one. I understand that you’re concerned but just know that usually mundanes don’t last as long as you have with ichor in their systems.”

“I don’t have much choice do I?” I asked.

“You have all the choice actually.” He replied.

“What do you mean that most mundanes don’t last this long?” I asked.

“Just that. There has to be something in you keeping you alive still. Most mundanes would be dead by now. For all I know it could be strong will that’s keeping you running but something in my gut is telling me otherwise. Like I said though you have all the choice.” He answered.

I sighed and weighed my options.

“Draw it on me.” I finally replied.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Well I’m going to die either way. Best case scenario I’ll live. Whether or not I do it as a forsaken I’ll find out.” I said.

“I guess that’s one way of looking at it.” He smiled and walked closer to my bed.

He reached down and grasped the hem of my blanket, “I’m not getting fresh I swear.”

“Just draw it on me angel boy. Don’t keep me in suspense about my fate.” I replied rolling my eyes.

He chuckled quietly and pulled my blankets up and moved my gown aside, exposing my leg. I saw a large bandage taped at the bottom of my thigh, the tape of which he carefully started to peel away from my skin. When he pulled the bandage back I nearly passed out. The skin was burnt and blistered. It looked terrible.

“Breathe.” He said looking at me.

I nodded and did as he said.

“This should hurt a bit. If it hurts more than a bit then well…Sorry.” He said.

“Oh way to make me feel better.” I said with an eye roll.

“Don’t worry.” He said and with a wink brought the stele to my leg.

My skin began to burn under the tip, like someone was drawing with ice on a sunburn. I watched as he drew the familiar lines onto my skin. A moment later he pulled the stele back.

“How do you feel?” he asked.

“Um…fine? I think?” I replied.

He nodded and watched my leg, “Well…it looks like everything is going okay.”

“What does that mean?” I asked.

He was quiet for a moment before shrugging, “No clue. Either way at least it’s working yeah?”

I could tell that he was keeping something from me but I didn’t want to press.

I nodded, “Thank the angel.”

He looked at me strange for a second before smiling, “Yeah.”

“So do I get to know your name?” I asked.

“My name?” he asked.

“Yeah. You did save my life twice. You could at least tell me your name.”

I watched as he seemed to think it over for a moment before replying, “Caleb Blackwell.”

“Nice to meet you.” I smiled.

“Same.” He nodded.

Suddenly from the other side off the room I heard something stir. Looking over I saw Joey and Ella both shifting around in their seats. I looked between the two of them and back to Caleb. I was torn. I wanted them to wake up and see him what was obviously a Shadowhunter standing next to my bed but at the same time I wanted them to stay asleep. There was something about Caleb that I like and I wanted to keep talking to him uninterrupted.

“They’re not going to be able to see me even if they wake up.” Caleb said after a moment.

“Maybe they’d believe me if they did and they could though. They wouldn’t believe me earlier.” I replied.

“You told them you were attacked by a demon and saved by a person that you claimed was a member of a supposedly fictional race of people. You can’t really blame them.” he smirked.

“Still sucks.” I said.

“I imagine so. You, however, should get some more sleep. That will work a lot faster if you’re resting.” Caleb ordered pointing to the rune on my leg.

“Yes Dad.” I smirked.

He let out a light laugh and patted my head, “Good girl.”

Honestly I knew it wasn’t hard to fall back to sleep. I closed my eyes and I was out.


	3. Chapter 3

“You know when I came into town I really didn't think that I’d spend the first 2 days camping out in a hospital.” Ella said as she and Joey wheeled me out of the hospital.

It had been a couple of days since the incident with the demon in the alley and I was finally being released from the hospital. According to Ella and Joey I had come pretty close to death. The only reason they had been allowed to stay with me in the ICU was that the doctors didn't think that I was going to last the night.

So when they had woken up the next morning and I was still kicking they were pretty surprised. It was an even bigger surprise when the doctor had come in, looked at my leg and hadn’t found a trace of the wound made by the ichor. The rune had long since faded after doing its job and there was no sign of Caleb anywhere.

That was probably the only thing about the whole situation that was a disappointment to me. For some reason I had thought the maybe he would’ve stuck around but I was wrong. Either way they’d made me stay a couple of extra days in the hospital for observation. When it was clear that I wasn’t going to die they had finally released me.

“Well I’m sorry that I got attacked.” I smirked looking up at her.

She smiled, “You better be. At least you’re okay though.”

“I still wish they had been able to figure out what that stuff was that got on your leg. People need to watch out for whatever it is.” Joey said.

“I wish I could remember what it was. I was kinda out of it though.” I sighed.

“Kind of out of it? You were raving about demons Willow.” Ella laughed.

“Okay fair point.” I replied as Joey wheeled me up to the cab that was waiting for us.

Upon waking up and finding that Caleb was gone and so was the mark on my leg I had decided to keep the whole Shadowhunter thing to myself. Joey and Ella both thought that my insistence about being attacked by a demon was a side effect of being poisoned and I played along.

The three of us piled into the cab and gave the driver Joey and I’s address. Before I knew it we were walking through the doors of our apartment. Without hesitation I walked straight over to the couch and flopped face down into its cushions. There was nothing more that I loved than coming home after being away, even if it was just for a couple of days.

“So what do you want for lunch?” Ella asked as she sat down in the chair next to the couch.

“Food.” I replied.

“What kind of food?” she asked obviously not amused by my simple answer.

“Good food.” I replied knowing that it would continue to annoy her which was one of my favorite past times.

“You’re impossible.” She sighed in exasperation.

“How about Chinese?” Joey suggested from somewhere behind me. I guessed she was probably perched on the arm since I was splayed out on the couch.

“Sounds good to me.” Ella replied.

“Willow?” Joey asked.

“Yum.” I agreed.

“Well then I’ll call it in.” Joey said and went to retrieve the menu so we could order from our usual Chinese place.

“I think I’m going to go get a shower. Let me know when the food is here, kay?” I asked looking at Ella.

“Want to get the smell of hospital off you?” she asked.

I nodded, “The smell of disinfectant is making me dizzy.”

“Alright. What do you want us to order you?” she asked.

“Joey knows my order.” I replied and with that headed for my room.

I grabbed a pair of black leggings and a baggy black t-shirt before walking into the bathroom. The hot water felt amazing and I relished in the fact I was able to use my actual shampoo and body wash instead of the generic smelling stuff the hospital had.

As I stood in the shower I looked down at where the ichor had been. There was no trace of the rune on my skin at all nor was there a sign of the burn from the ichor. It was strange and it made me wonder just how I’d managed to survive having a rune placed on me. Only Shadowhunters could be marked. But I wasn't a Shadowhunter. Was I?

With a sigh I turned and shut off the water. I didn’t have the answers and I doubted I’d ever get them so it was best to just put all this behind me. Once I was dressed I quickly dried my hair and tossed it into a ponytail before walking out of the bathroom. I was just passing the front door when there was a knock.

“Food’s here! I’ll get it!” I yelled to the others and grabbed my wallet from my purse on the stand next to the door before opening it.

“How much is it Tyler?” I asked as I opened my wallet.

“You don’t have to pay me for saving your life Willow.”

My head snapped up from where I had been looking in my wallet. I had expected it to be Tyler Woo, the 15 year old son of the guy who owned the Chinese place a couple blocks away. We ordered there enough that both Joey and I were on first name bases with the kid. I wasn’t expecting to see Caleb leaning against the doorframe dressed in black jeans with an oxblood colored t-shirt and a leather jacket.

“W-What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I need to talk to you.” He replied.

“How do you know where I live?”

He sighed, “I have ways. So are you going to invite me in or am I going to have to stand here all day?”

“Yeah. Come in.” I said and stepped aside so he could move past me.

“So this is where you live?” he asked.

“Yeah…with Joey. I ask you again, what are you doing here? You just up and left the other night. Why are you here now?” I asked.

“I told you I need to talk to you. It’s important.” He said.

I started to ask him what was going on Joey walked into the room.

“Where’s the-oh…who is this?” she asked looking at Caleb.

“I thought you said they couldn’t see you!” I said turning to look at Caleb.

“They’re not supposed to be able to.” He replied.

“Why am I not supposed to be able to see him?” Joey asked.

“Not supposed to be able to see who?” Ella echoed as she walked into the entry way.

“We’re not supposed to be able to see him apparently.” Joey said cocking her head towards Caleb.

“Why aren’t we supposed to be able to see him?” Ella asked looking confused.

“Because I’m a Shadowhunter.” Caleb provided.

“Because he’s a Shadow-wait…what?” Joey started to reply to Ella but stopped.

“He’s a Shadowhunter.” I repeated.

Joey and Ella exchanged looks, both silent.

“He’s the one that saved me the other night.” I replied.

I watched as Joey and Ella exchanged looks with one another for a few seconds.

“You’re not serious.” Ella said after a few moments.

“As a heart attack. Caleb is a Shadowhunter.” I said.

“Prove it.” Joey replied.

“And how do you suggest I do that?” Caleb asked.

“I don’t know! Show us your secret Shadowhunter lair or something!” she replied.

“Shadowhunter lair?” Ella and I chorused looking at her.

Joey stuck her tongue out at us, “If you have any other ideas I’d like to see them.”

“I may have one.” Caleb replied and with that turned and headed for the kitchen.

The three of us followed him, curious as to what he was going to do. Once in the kitchen Caleb stood in the middle for a moment, looking about before stopping, his eyes set on the knife block. Somehow I knew what he was going to do before he even reached out and grasped the knife in his hand. However that didn’t keep a gasp from leaving my lips as he shrugged off his jacket and brought the blade to the inside of his arm, drawing it across the skin.

“Holy shit are you insane?!” Ella yelled and grabbed a towel from the counter, running to press it against Caleb’s arm.

“Wait.” He warned and put his hand out to stop her before reaching behind his back, drawing out his stele.

As he brought the tip to rest against his skin my eyes turned to look at Joey and Ella. Both were watching with rapt attention as he carefully drew the iratze onto his skin. Once he took the stele away the mark began to glow before sinking into his skin. A moment later the cut began to stitch itself together and after a couple of minutes it was gone.

“That proof enough?” Caleb asked looking at Ella and Joey.

“How the…but…books…fiction!” Joey replied throwing her hands in the air.

“I think what Joey meant is since when are Shadowhunters real? You exist in books! You’re not supposed to be real!” Ella said.

Caleb sighed, “It’s a long story.”

“Well I’m not leaving for 4 days so we have time. Now talk or I’ll hurt you in a way that not even an iratze can heal.” Ella replied

20 minutes later we were seated around the coffee table which was littered with boxes of freshly delivered Chinese food. Ella and Joey were perched on the edge of the couch, listening intently as they stuffed noodles and rice into their mouths. I sat on the floor with my legs tucked under the table as I enjoyed my Lo-Mein and Caleb was lounging in the armchair with a pair of chopsticks and a box of shrimp fried rice.

“Everything was real. All the books, the stories, the people they all exist. We put them out as a way to gather new recruits. After the Mortal War our numbers were thin to say the least. Thousands of Shadowhunters had fallen and we had no choice but to think about ascension. So we hired a warlock to write the tales and publish them. Thankfully her writing was sound enough that they were popular.”

“Spreading the story wasn’t enough though. We needed to find people who were worthy to be Shadowhunters, ideally people with Shadowhunter blood. As I’m sure you all know Shadowhunters can decide to not follow in the lines of their families. They can marry a mundane or choose to just leave. This means that there is Shadowhunter blood out there amongst the mundane population and most of the time people don’t know they have it.”

I quickly swallowed the food in my mouth, “But if Shadowhunters leave don’t the Clave come and like ask the kids to come train when they’re like 13?”

Caleb nodded, “Yeah but after a couple of generations they give up. I mean there’s only so many times you can be told no before you realize it’s pointless. The family’s lineage continues and slowly the Shadowhunter blood, though powerful, starts to become diluted and people forget that they even ever had it.”

“So like I said we had to find these people who had forgotten. The question was how to do it since most of the time they looked like perfectly ordinary mundanes. There were all sorts of arguments and thing about just how to go about it when in reality it was as simple as creating a new rune.”

“A new rune? I thought that the only person who could do that was…” Joey trailed off looking at Caleb.

“Clary Fray? Yes. Remember, I told you that all the people are real. Clary is as well. I’ve met her and she’s quite nice. Anyhow she created a new rune which would draw out the laitent Shadowhunter abilities in mundanes who read the books. We hid it within the books and sent them out.”

“What do you mean there’s a rune in the books? I’ve read them all cover to cover a dozen times. I’m sure if there was a rune drawn in there somewhere I would’ve caught it. And if not Willow would’ve. She never puts the damn things down.” Ella said casting a look that said she was calling bullshit on the whole thing.

“Is that a copy of one of the books?” Caleb asked pointing to the side table near Ella.

“Yeah. It’s Willow’s copy of City Of Lost Souls.” Ella replied holding it up.

Caleb made a motion for her to hand it over which she did. He set the book down on the table in front of him before pulling up the leg of his jeans, pulling out a small dagger.

“Before you say anything I will buy you another one.” He said casting his gaze to me.

I opened my mouth to ask him exactly what he was going to do to my book but before I could he had cast off the dust jacket and picked up the dagger. He flipped to the very back and sat the book back down before running the tip of the dagger around the edge of the back cover. I watched with a mix of curiousity and mild horror as I watched him rip apart the back of my book.

After a moment he put the dagger down and held up the book. Sure enough in the center of the back cover someone had drawn a rune, the black lines of it bright against the white paper.

“Holy shit! Is that in every book?!?” Joey asked grabbing the book.

“All of them.” Caleb nodded.

“And this is why we can see you?” Ella asked.

“Yeah.”

“Why haven’t we ever noticed it before though? I mean we’ve been reading these books for ages.” I replied.

“You can’t honestly tell me that you notice every person who crosses your path on a daily basis. Besides I imagine that you would just dismiss the person if you did.” Caleb said.

I thought about it for a moment and nodded in agreement. It was an everyday thing to see someone with a body modification of some kind. Whose to say that those people I thought that were wearing contacts wasn’t a warlock?

“So what happens now?” I asked looking to Caleb who was busy stuffing his face as Joey and Ella marveled at the rune in the book.

He sat his food down and sighed, “That was what I was sent here for. I’m supposed to tell you about your options.”

“What kind of options?” Ella asked.

“Well you have two choices. One is that you can join the Shadowhunters. You would go to Idris, attend the Academy and if everything goes well you would ascend. Usually we don’t ask people over 18 to join but like I said…our numbers are low. The second option is a warlock could cast a memory charm but um…well those aren’t foolproof.” Caleb said.

“What do you mean foolproof?” I asked.

“I mean that it could wipe your memories about us but it could also fail. Then you would remember or well the spell could kind of fry your brain.”

“So basically it’s join the Shadowhunters or die. That definitely makes the choice easier.” Joey replied.

“I know it’s a hard decision and I don’t envy you having to make it. I mean-”

“I’m in.” I said quickly cutting Caleb off.

“What?” Caleb asked looking at me.

“I’m in. I’ll join the Shadowhunters.” I replied.

“Are you sure you don’t want some time to think about this?” Caleb asked.

“Do you not think that I’ve thought this through before? I mean like Ella said, I’ve read the books dozens of times. I’ve had all the time I need.” I said.

“I’m in too.” Joey said putting her food down.

“Me too. I mean I can’t let these two run off and fight demons alone. We all saw what happened to Willow when she tried it.” Ella said casting a glance at me to which I replied with sticking out my tongue at her.

“Are you three serious?” Caleb asked.

“As a heart attack.” Joey nodded.

Caleb was silent for a few moments before giving a nod of sorts. He stuck his chopsticks back into his rice one more time and sat the box down in front of him. With a wipe of his mouth with the back of his hand he looked at us.

“Get your coats then ladies. We’re going on a field trip."


End file.
